How to Recover a Lost MSN Password

by Jane Gateway

MSN, formerly known as the Microsoft Network, is an assortment of websites and services provided by computer and Internet giant Microsoft. When users sign up to the MSN website, they are given the choice of choosing a wide range of services from the Windows Live network, which includes email through Hotmail, online storage in SkyDrive and the messaging program MSN Messenger. One advantage MSN users enjoy is having one account name and password that allows them to use all MSN services.

Instructions

1

MSN, or the Windows Live network, provides users the opportunity to create new passwords rather than recover old passwords. Go to the MSN website or any Windows Live site and click the "Sign in" phrase. This will take you to the login page, which will require you to enter your username. Click the "Forgot your password" phrase. The reset password page will then open. Select among the three choices which one suits best your current needs. Choose the option "I forgot my password" and click the phrase that appears below the choice once you have selected it.

2

Enter your MSN username, or Windows Live ID. More often than not, this is the email address that was used when you originally signed up with the MSN or the Windows Live network. Type the word of the phrase that appears in the captcha image located directly below the username field. You will also have the option to request a new captcha image or listen to the letters being dictated. Click "Next."

3

The MSN or Windows Live network will then send a password reset message to the email that was originally used to sign up. Check the aforementioned email address. There may be some instances in which the email sent by the MSN or Windows Live Network could be re-directed to your spam folder. Check there if you can't find the message five to 10 minutes after requesting for a password reset.

4

Open the email sent by MSN and click the appropriate link sent in the email to confirm the request for a password reset. This will open your default browser and take you to the Password Reset page that will allow users to create a new password for the account rather than retrieve the old password. The page will also provide a "Sign In" option to test out the user's new password.

Tip

checkYou should reset your account password every three months to avoid any major security problems posed by hackers that abound on the Internet. Additionally, these passwords should not resemble terms or numbers easily identifiable to the user, such as birthdays, a child's name or the user's nickname. Passwords should be hard to guess but easily remembered by the user.

Items you will need

References

About the Author

Based in Michigan, Jane Gateway has been writing about gender, poverty and politics since 1977. She served as a communications director and writer for the Nigerian Federal Ministry of Information and Culture. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in communications sciences and a Master of Arts in educational administration from Michigan State University, where she is pursuing a Ph.D. in media and information studies.